European Championships and Copa América to be played in 2021

More disruption in the footballing world due to the coronavirus. The governing bodies of football in Europe and South America, UEFA and Conmebol, have announced that the European Championships and the Copa América to be played this summer in 2020 will now take place a year later in 2021. 

UEFA also announced that UEFA competitions and friendlies, both club and international and both for men's and women's teams, are suspended until further notice. This measure has affected both the Barça men's and women's teams with the Champions League match against Napoli in the last 16 postponed as has the women's team's quarter final against Atlético in the Women's Champions League. The decision also means that the Barça futsal team will not be travelling to Minsk in Belarus for the Final Four of the UEFA Futsal Champions League which was set for 24-26 April. 

Despite the postponement of match until further notice, UEFA's announcement also reflects the wish to complete national and European Club competition before the end of the current sporting season, 30 June 2020, as long as an improvement in the health situation were to allow it. As such, the governing body explained that there could be league matches scheduled in midweek and European matches at the weekend. 

President Bartomeu, present

The FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, took part in the meeting today between UEFA and the European Association of Club (ECA), representative of the Continent's domestic leagues, (EPFL), the European branch of the Players' Union (FIFpro) and the 55 national associations that form part of UEFA to rethink the fixture schedule for European club competition (Champions League and Europa League) as well as the domestic leagues and Euro 2020 after the recent half to competition due to the public health crisis caused by COVID-19. 

Bartomeu, as a member of the Executive Committee of the ECA, a body of which he has been a part since 2014, took part in the first part of the meeting between UEFA, ECA, FIFpro and the EPFL. Later, the European footballing governing body met with the 55 national associations. 

As well as playing an important role within ECA, the president of FC Barcelona has also been vicepresident of the Club Competition Committee at UEFA since NOvember 2016.